Our Team

The Dig The Falls Team Has Grown!

Waterfall loving, crazy hiking and Basset Hound-like good natures… Well, at least most of us anyway 😉

Edward M. Smathers

Creator and Contributor

There isn't much to say about me, except that I love waterfalling. I network with as many enthusiasts as possible and am always looking for new areas to explore! Our family has grown a bit since I started the waterfall list, as you can see from our Team Mascots. I look forward to hiking with you in the future.

Jessica Painter

Co-Creator and Contributor

The ever patient and always supportive Jessica Painter is a professional wedding and portrait photographer in the Capital Region, who also stands in as a great hiking partner, mother, and wife to our growing family. Without the impeccable editing skills and keen eye for detail, this site would not be what it is!

Jack Smathers and Miss Charlotte Grace

Jack the Bassett, a long-time mascot, and 'McG' our newest addition. These two really round off the team that makes up Dig The Falls. They really prove that waterfalling is for everyone!

John Haywood

Contributor and Ambassador of the North Country

John spends as much time as he can hiking, exploring and photographing throughout the Adirondacks. He says, I could go anywhere, but this is where my heart is. The air and water is clean, and everyone I've met is very friendly. It's a whole different world here and I love it! One of his favorite places to photograph is Ausable Chasm in Keeseville. John has spent countless hours, over the years, capturing a multitude of images, and has been referred to as a modern-day Seneca Ray Stoddard, who was known to frequently photograph the Chasm in the late 18 and early 1900's.

Stanley Rusin

Besides loving nature, photography, adventures, and challenges, Stash is usually a laid back kinda guy. Hiking is his specialty. So if you need him to find something in the middle of nowhere, he will.

A soon to be member of the Catskill 3500 club, Stash's passion for waterfalls and the mountains is what drives him further.

Bobbie Yager Sweeting

New York Waterfall Location Editor

Bobbies Waterfalls (bobbieswaterfalls.net) has been around a lot longer than most other New York waterfall websites (in one form or another), but what we also found was Bobbie has been exploring much longer than some of the better-known waterfallers we know of.

Bragging Rights: Bobbie has personally visited and verified each waterfall listed on her site! Awesome, right!?

Bobbie has been working for quite some time lending her experience in fact checking all of the location data we have created over the years. She has been working diligently to add missing data and also remove duplicates. We can't say enough how lucky we are to have her part of the team!!

Paul Swiatkowski

Contributor and Ambassador of WNY

Paul is one of those guys in the background of the DTF team that has been with us and supporting us for years. He and his family have been on some of our hikes and actively involved in the DTF community as well. Keep an eye on this guy, because he's got some skills!

Show Me Your Falls

Contributor and Ambassador of All Things Fun!

A two part team made of Julie and Jacky, Show Me Your Falls is a wonderful addition to the Dig The Falls Team. Although these two do not hike together as often as they once did, both have contributed in a huge way to our team. We are looking forward to more humorous hikes and antics from Show Me Your Falls, and Julie and Jacky's separate adventures as well!